The US President, Donald Trump, has announced America will withdraw from one of its nuclear weapons treaties with Russia

The President repeatedly claimed that Russia had "violated" the treaty.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) agreement was signed between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War, but Trump has now said the Russian government has been breaching the agreement “for many years”, to reporters before boarding Air Force One to attend a Nevada campaign rally.

“We’re going to terminate the agreement and we’re going to pull-out,” Trump said of the treaty signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

“Russia has violated the agreement. They’ve been violating it for many years" railed Trump.

“We’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to.

“We’re going to build those weapons,” he added.

President Donald Trump on Air Force One (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Halted production of medium-range missiles

The INF Treaty eradicated and halted the production of all nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,418 miles.

The Trump Administration's military hawks believe the historic document has left the US at a disadvantage because China - who are not party to the treaty - can still develop intermediate-range missiles in the Pacific, but the US is unable to build any in response.

The US also alleges that Russia is now violating the treaty with the development and deployment of a ground-launched cruise missile, known as the 9M729.

Two young CND peace marchers pose for the camera before starting their march from Hearsall Common - 26th May 1984

The President’s national security advisor, John Bolton, will visit Moscow next week for talks that may include telling Russian officials the US’ intention to withdraw from the agreement.

Britain's Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, stood by the United States' position, turning blame towards Moscow for the failure to maintain the agreement.

He told the Financial Times: “Our close and long-term ally of course is the United States and we will be absolutely resolute with the United States in hammering home a clear message that Russia needs to respect the treaty obligation that it signed."

Daryl Kimball, the head of the Washington-DC based Arms Control Association, said: “For the US it would be a disastrous own goal to pull out when it has been Russia that has been in non-compliance for some time.

"It will open the door for Russia to expand its small and relatively insubstantial ground-launched missile arsenal.”